Our staff uses a team approach in teaching and treating the youngsters in our care. We are highly experienced with a variety of pediatric conditions but never forget that each child is a unique individual and not just a diagnosis.

Our team consists of the following early childhood specialists:

• Special education teachers
• Speech Therapists
• Speech Pathologists
• Physical Therapists
• Occupational therapists
• Psychologists
• Consultant Psychiatrists

Patricia Dorsey co-founded A Starting Place in 1979.  She functions in many roles including executive director, program coordinator, and curriculum developer. 

Patricia has an MS in Special Education and Psychology and she had  many years of experience before establishing A Starting Place. She taught several years in public schools, ran preschool and infant programs for the Association for Retarded Children, and worked at Letchworth, Camp Venture, and the Child Development Center in Rockland County.

She plays an active role in the daily operation of A Starting Place and can often be seen in a classroom working with the children or conferring with a parent.